How to Play Dungeons and Dragons

Do you dream of fire-breathing dragons and damsels in distress? One of the most popular venues for role playing medieval fantasy is Dungeons and Dragons.

Instructions

Step 1: Join a Dungeons and Dragons group Join a Dungeons and Dragons group. The group will typically consist of three to seven individuals. One person is the Dungeon Master. The other members of the group are players.

Step 2: Choose your character Choose your character. You might, for example, choose to be a fighter, rogue, wizard, or cleric. The Player's Handbook describes the rules and options for playing characters.

Step 3: Keep notes Keep track of statistics related to your character and the game with a pencil and paper.

TIP: There are many character sheets available for download online. You can also photocopy the preprinted character sheet in the back of the Player’s Handbook to make your statistics easier to manage.

Step 4: Accept an adventure assignment Accept an adventure assignment from the Dungeon Master, like protecting a town from goblins, saving a damsel, slaying a dragon, or looting a wizard’s tower. The Dungeon Master finds statistics for the monsters that Player Characters encounter in the Monster Manual. Adventures are described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

TIP: As a Player Character you can do anything that fits within the scenario outlined by the Dungeon Master.

Step 5: Roll a die Roll a twenty-sided die to determine the outcome when you face an action that has a possibility of failure. The Dungeon Master will set the target number that your roll is measured against. If you roll a smaller number, your action fails. Other dice determine other results, such as how much damage your weapon or spells cause and the damage to you if you get hit.

Step 6: Continue playing Continue playing until your campaign is over, and then begin a new one. Collect experience to raise your character to higher levels with every adventure, and hope your character doesn’t die in the process.

FACT: Dungeons and Dragons got its start with the publication of a rule book in 1974 by two American game designers.